


Unspoken Accomplishments

by Entwinedlove



Series: Marvelously Magical Bingo 2018 [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU - Repealed Statute of Secrecy, Gen, Mentor/Protégé, SHIELD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 14:28:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15687270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Entwinedlove/pseuds/Entwinedlove
Summary: Peggy had one mission left: passing down her legacy to a protégé worthy of it.





	Unspoken Accomplishments

**Author's Note:**

> For Marvelously Magical Bingo 2018; fills square **N1** – _"I know my value. Anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter." - Peggy Carter_
> 
> [ ](https://i.imgur.com/3jvDMeW.jpg)

Peggy stood in the back of the SHIELD intake classroom observing the newest recruits as well as the agent giving the orientation. This would be one of the last intake classes she would have a hand in, as she planned to retire soon. There was something particularly special about this class, however.

Two years ago, the world was rocked by the revelation that magic was real and had been around for a long time. They had their own secret world hidden in plain sight of the 'normal' one. Peggy had known that things in this world were not normal for a long time now. After all, she'd seen the only successful creation of a Supersoldier and witnessed the harnessing of alien tech all the way back in the forties. The strange and fantastical things she'd seen since then with SSR and SHIELD were numerous and the revelation of magic hadn't even interrupted her day when it first went public. It was just one more thing to manage.

This class, though, had a single magical recruit. Hermione Granger, age 23. British expatriate. One of the major participants of the Second Wizarding War. A war that threw the magical world into the international spotlight.

Peggy had reached out to all of the named participants of legal age inquiring if they would like to apply their special skills towards a productive goal, protecting the world from paranormal and superhuman threats. Only one had been interested but when she reached out to Peggy, she asked if she could have a few years to finish her education and regroup. Of course, Peggy had said yes to however much time she needed. She understood the toll war took on a young mind; she herself had enlisted in the British Royal Military six months after her eighteenth birthday.

The agent leading the orientation paused to allow the group to ask questions. Granger raised her hand almost instantly. The questions that followed—read from notes taken in the margins of her orientation paperwork—were well-thought out and pointed, specifically in regards to how civil rights were handled both within SHIELD and as a power in the world stage. After the fifth question had been answered someone else raised their hand.

"What's included in the benefits package and do we get holiday pay?" The man asked in a bored drawl.

Peggy glanced at the floor and rubbed the back of her neck in an attempt to hide her reaction. If that man had qualified for the field, that question alone was enough for her to demote him to clerical work. An attitude like that wasn't needed when other agents may entrust their lives to his hands. The orientation agent answered his question with just as much poise and respect as she'd offered Granger. At least the decision to place this agent as an instructor had been a good one.

When she called for a restroom and snack break, Peggy waited for Granger to stand and stretch her back before approaching her. "Miss Granger?"

The young woman smiled and met her eyes, "Director Carter?"

"Oh," Peggy laughed a little, "In name only, anymore. I gave that position up almost twenty years ago. I'm too old for the job these days. Please, call me Peggy. Or Agent Carter if you're not comfortable on a first-name basis."

"First names are fine. I'm Hermione."

"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Hermione. Would you take a short walk with me?" she asked, gesturing to the door that led out to the main corridor. Hermione nodded and followed. Peggy didn't speak until the door to the classroom had closed shut and they'd walked a few yards from the door. "I've looked over your intake tests. You scored very highly for fieldwork. Is that the position you're interested in pursuing?"

"Isn't that why you reached out to me to begin with?"

"Initially, yes." She paused to gather her thoughts. "When we asked you to do the field and obstacle course without magical means, you scored moderately high in most areas. When we asked you to retake them utilizing your magic, you scored off the chart, especially in particular areas. Those marks qualify you to be more than just a field agent. You'd still be considered an Agent of SHIELD but you'd be working with even more classified and potentially dangerous threats."

Hermione nodded as they continued to stroll down the empty corridor. "What sort of work would that be?"

"Espionage, for the most part. I'm reluctant to use the word assassin, as you've expressed a strong objection to killing, but you might work with other specialists with that moniker."

The young woman didn't answer and Peggy found it admirable that she took the time to think about the offer rather than outright reject it. She stopped walking and faced Peggy to look her in the eye. "Were you ever a field agent, Peggy? Or were you just a founder and director? When I first started looking into SHIELD that was one of the questions I could never find a satisfying answer to."

"Well spotted," Peggy said, smiling at her. "I was an agent, both with the SSR and for many years as a founder of SHIELD. At the time we didn't have separate titles for field agents and specialists but I worked with the most classified projects. Some of the most dangerous threats."

"But not an assassin?"

"Are you asking if I've killed?"

"Yes," Hermione answered bluntly.

"I have. Most of which were in self-defence. I worked with others to detain more criminals than I killed."

"And you can live with those lives taken?"

"Yes," Peggy said. She watched this young woman's face, whom despite spending years trying to find herself seemed to be more conflicted than before. "I've lived a fulfilling life. It's been a hard road but I feel like I've accomplished a great many good things. I've made a change for the better."

Hermione looked down at her hands; she was picking at her cuticles. Peggy made a mental note to work on tells when they started actually training even if Hermione chose not to become a specialist.

"Isn't it hard, though? To not be lauded for your accomplishments?"

Peggy smiled. There had been plenty of times when she would have wanted the accreditation of her achievements, especially as a young woman in a male-dominated field, but as she'd grown older the yearning to prove herself had waned. She knew exactly where Hermione was coming from. "I know my value and the value of my work. Anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter." She patted Hermione on the arm and turned, heading back to the orientation classroom. "You don't have to make the decision now. In any case, no matter what you decide, I'd like to work as your mentor. Is that all right?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I think I'd appreciate that. I feel like you have a lot you could teach me."

Peggy agreed. She had a feeling mentoring the first Magical SHIELD Operative would be one of her greatest accomplishments.


End file.
